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Marcelo Bielsa has revealed that his research on upcoming opponents is so detailed that Pep Guardiola once admitted the Argentine knew more about Barcelona than him.

Bielsa wowed reporters on Wednesday at an emergency press conference at Leeds United’s training ground at Thorp Arch as he demonstrated the detail in which he researches opponents.

After being accused of spying by Derby County manager Frank Lampard last week, Bielsa admitted that he sent spies to the training grounds of every single opponent Leeds have faced this season but insists that no extra advantages were gleaned from the subterfuge.

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In order to demonstrate this fact, Bielsa gave reporters a taste of the seemingly endless research his team carry out before each game, research so detailed that it astonished even Manchester City boss Guardiola.

“I’m going to tell you a story,” Bielsa said, during a press conference which lasted more than an hour.

“When I was Bilbao coach, we played the [Copa del Rey] final against Barcelona, who won 3-0. They were generous with us because after the third goal they stopped playing. I was very sad to lose this game.

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“When the game finished I sent to Guardiola, this analysis as a gift expressing my admiration for him. He told me ‘you know more about Barcelona than me.’ But it was useless because they scored three goals against us.

“I do this to feel well, I see that this information does not allow you to win games. Half of the goals we conceded are from set pieces. if the spying was effective, we would have found a solution on this subject. But it was not useful at all for us.”